Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has declared a state of emergency on education, approving a N60,000 welfare package for each of the 21,167 public school teachers in the state.
The governor announced the measures on Monday during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration at the Uyo Township Stadium.
Under the package, each public school teacher will receive N50,000 as wardrobe allowance and N10,000 as transport allowance.
Eno also approved a N500,000 support grant for each of the 1,776 registered private schools operating across the state.
As part of the education intervention, the governor approved the recruitment of 2,000 additional teachers into the state civil service. He said the recruitment portal would be opened soon and urged qualified indigenes of the state to apply when the process begins.
The governor also announced the establishment of an Education Emergency Committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi. The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, and other relevant stakeholders are expected to serve on the committee.
According to Eno, the committee will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the education sector, identify critical gaps and recommend measures to reposition the system in line with the objectives of the administration’s ARISE Agenda.
Speaking on teachers’ welfare, the governor said teachers should benefit from the rewards of their service while they are still alive.
«“Teachers’ reward is in heaven, but I say no. Teachers’ reward is here. My belief is that your reward begins here,” Eno said.»
The governor also highlighted other interventions by his administration in the education sector, including the construction of 38 model primary schools across the state’s 31 local government areas.
He said the state government had also paid West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) fees for secondary school students and cleared outstanding contributory pension obligations.
Eno further disclosed that about N2.4 billion in outstanding teachers’ gratuities had been paid, stressing that teachers’ welfare remained an important component of the government’s investment in education.
The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, commended the administration for its interventions in the sector, particularly initiatives aimed at improving teachers’ welfare and creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning.
The Akwa Ibom State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Edet Emenyi, also expressed the union’s support for the administration, citing its interventions in education and efforts to address teachers’ welfare.
Similarly, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Sunny James, commended the government for addressing outstanding teachers’ gratuities.
At the event, Governor Eno announced the formal conversion of the Akwa Ibom State College of Education into the Akwa Ibom State University of Education, following the passage of the enabling law by the State House of Assembly.
He subsequently announced Professor Philip Afaha as the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the new university.
The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to sustained investment in education, describing the sector as a long-term investment in the future of Akwa Ibom State rather than an avenue for political competition.
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